The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-06
THE NEGRO In THE NEW SOUTH.
The Disadvantages Under Which the Race
Has Made Remarkable Progress.

Rev. j. C. Hartzell. D. D., corresponding
rotary of the Freedman's Aid Society, was in
the city yesterday, guest of Rev. J. H.
Mcconnell A Journal reporter, in converse
ton with the Doctor. asked him to the polit-
ical and social status of the negro in the new
South. DR.. Hartzen lived in New Orleans for
twelve years after tho war, and his work still
takes him through the South. indeed it does
through the States of the North THE negro
population OF the South" said the Doctor.
numbers six and onehaif millions, about one
third of the entire population of the sixteen
Southern States, and it is increasing. In Vir-
GINA, North Carolina South Carolina
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and
Louisiana the races, whole, are
nearly evenly divided in population.
In South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana
three out of every five people are negroes. so
that welve-thrteenths of the negro population
of this country is in the South and more than
half of the six ard cne-half millions is in
eight States. In twenty years these eight
States will have larger population of negroes
than whites. The talk about negroes emigrat-
ing in a body out of the South into the North.
or to any foreign country is nonsense. The
questions relating to his future, and of his rea-
tions to the white people Of America. must be
solved chiefly in the South. The negro 10 gain
ing property, and now pays taxes on more than
a hundred millions. He Is being educated.
There are one million negro children in
the public schools of the South, and
forty thousand young negro men and women
in schools of high grade in the South SUE
ported by the benevolence OF the North. This
indicates the marvellous change IN sentiment
among the white people of the South regarding
the education of the negro and of the wonderful
work being accomplished by Northern philan-
thropists. The public schools of the South are
miserably poor. outside of the cities and large
towns: Still they are fact and with the
changing sentiment and negroes of wealth in
the South they will grow better.
Tho opposition to the Blair educational bill
from some of the leading Southern men, by
which it was defeated in the last Congress, indi
Gates there Is still a powerful sentiment to be
met and overcome pushing the work of educa
tiou for the negroes, as we'll as the whites.
'In their home life the negroes areI improving.
great many are getting homes of their own.
Within few miles of one town in South Caro-
lima, Southern paper states. there are July one
thousand colored men who own little pieces OF
property In morals, while there is much to
discourage among the multitudes, there is much
to encourage. On the whole, it is now the
cepted opinion of the best people of the South
we'll as the North. that the advance made by
the negroes since slavery Is IN all respects re-
markable.
POLITICALLY in the South the negro is counted
out He votes freely and has his vote counted
only where it will amount to nothing in the
suit, but wherever his vote endangers the
premacy of the white people politically. his vote
is III some way suppressed, by quiet means If
possible. by harsh means If necessary. There
occasional exceptions to this rule. The
South justifes this course upon the ground of
the public good. and says frankly that this is
white mans government; that the negro has
neither the intelligence the character to
rule. Back of this lies the conviction of the
Southern white people, educated into them for
two hundred and fifty years, that
the Godappointed place of the negro
is that OF subordinaton to the white man. First
it was slavery-the South believed that to be of
divine order. When the war swept that away,
the universal purpose then was to put the negro
into state of peonege, without real estate or
the right to vote; without education, and 30 en-
vironed by vagrancy and the labor laws as to be
absolutely in the hands of the whites. The
vagrancy laws Immediately after the war gave
positive proof and illustration of this. These
were swept away by reconstruction. They were
ingeniously continued-a sharp, shrewd lot of
laws and never said negro once.
''Now that the negro has q right to vote, and
is being educated, and owns or is securing prop
erty. the purpose is to give him modified
American citizenship. by which he shall enjoy
his rights circumscribed the white leaders
think best for the good of society and their own
good. Hence, in social church, school, com
mercial. and political life the purpose is to
mold the new South as to have the negro retain
his subordinate relations to the whites. On the
whole. the peace and good will between the races
and the prosperity of the South are manifestly
good and encouraging. when we consider it is
only twenty years since the South passed
through it's terrific revolution